A PLNU Production of “Failure: A Love Story”

Calling all theater lovers and those who want to see art come to life, it’s that time of the year! PLNU’s fall production “Failure: A Love Story” by Philip Dawkins follows three sisters, Nelly, Jenny June and Gerty, as they navigate love and loss before their time unexpectedly runs out. A story filled with both comedy and sorrow, the play with music explores success, failure, death and finding the strength to move on.

“It’s about how life keeps going,” senior Taylor Spencer, a narrator in the play, said. “After loss or hardship, life still holds so much beauty, and that can be found even when things seem really bleak. There can always be humor and light even in the hardest of circumstances.”

Directed by PLNU communications and theater adjunct professor Megan DeBoard, the production showcases a minimalist set design and a variety of characters that include clocks, birds, a snake and a dog. This has allowed the cast to have significant creative freedom and expression, according to DeBoard.

“As a director, I believe that problems…are more like a treasure chest of opportunities for creativity,” DeBoard said. “How do you make someone swim onstage? How do you show that human beings are clocks? How do you create a car using two chairs? This process has been highly collaborative between director, designers and actors, and more so than any play I’ve directed, you can see pieces of others’ ideas sprinkled throughout.”

Make sure to catch “Failure: A Love Story” on Nov. 8-10, and 15 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. at Salomon Theatre, a whimsical and heartfelt story about love, loss and the beauty that comes with it.

“It’s about love but also death, honoring those who have passed and finding ways to press on with life. Psychologists tell us that the loss of someone we love is one of life’s greatest sorrows,” DeBoard said. “…In the PLNU community, there are many who have faced bereavement in the recent or distant past, but all will face the loss of someone they love in the future. “Failure: A Love Story” asks us to consider our loss, to face our own mortality and to think about what we are doing with the time we have left here on earth.”